Supreme Court Cases

Question 1

• several states passed laws to tax the Bank of the United States
• Congress MAY establish a national bank
• states may NOT tax the national government
• as a result of the necessary and proper clause, Congress has implied powers and is not limited by it’s expressed powers
• the supremacy clause asserts that the national government is superior to state governments when the two conflict

Answer 1

McCulloch v. Maryland

Question 2

• a student in TX brought an unloaded gun to school and was charged with violating the federal Gun-Free School Zones acts of 1990
• the law is unconstitutional because possession of a gun in a school zone does not substantially affect interstate commerce
• the 10th Amendment protects state power in a federal system
• the commerce clause does not grant Congress endless power

Answer 2

U.S. v. Lopez

Question 3

• TN voting districts were of very unequal size, therefore one person’s vote wasn’t necessarily equal to another person’s vote
• apportionment claims are justifiable in court
• led to “one person, one vote” principle
• under the equal protection clause the appellants had a right to challenge unequal apportionment

Answer 3

Baker v. Carr

Question 4

• NC created a very bizarrely shaped majority-minority district for the purpose of increasing black representation in Congress
• congressional districts cannot be drawn based on only race

Answer 4

Shaw v. Reno

Question 5

• William Marburg petitioned the SCOTUS to compel Secretary of State James Madison to deliver his commission
• The Judiciary Act of 1789 conflicted with the Constitution and was therefore null and void
• ESTABLISHED JUDICIAL REVIEW, the power to declare a law unconstitutional
• congress couldn’t pass legislation that supersedes the constitution because the supremacy clause places the Constitution above laws

Answer 5

Marbury v. Madison

Question 6

• public schools in NY began the school day by inviting students to recite and nondenominational prayer each morning
• states cannot hold prayers in public schools, even if participation is voluntary, and the prayer isn’t tied to specific religion
• state–sponsored prayer and public schools violates the establishment clause

Answer 6

Engel v. Vitale

Question 7

• for religious reasons, Amish families, refuse to send their children to high school, violating a Wisconsin law
• compelling amish students to attend public school be on 8th grade violates the free exorcist clause
• individual’s interest in free exercise religion outweighs the states interest in compelling school attendance beyond 8th grade

Answer 7

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Question 8

• A war protester was arrested for violating the Espionage Act
• The Espionage Act did not violate the 1st Amendment and was an appropriate exercise of Congress’ wartime authority
• there will be a time, place, and restrictions on the 1st Amendment’s free speech guarantee

Answer 8

Schenck v. U.S.

Question 9

• students were suspended for wearing black armbands as a symbol to protest the Vietnam War
• the armband represent pure speech and student have free speech rights at school
• students have a right to political, symbolic speech based on the 1st Amendment’s free speech

Answer 9

Tinker v. Des Moines

Question 10

• The Nixon administration attempted to stop the publication of the Pentagon Papers
• The government did not have the right to block publication of the Pentagon Papers
• Because of the 1st Amendment’s freedom of press, there is a heavy presumption against prior restraint (censorship)

Answer 10

New York Times Co. v. U.S.

Question 11

• A Florida man was charged with a felony and requested that the state appoint an attorney for him. The state of Florida denied the request
• States must provide attorneys for defendants who can’t afford one
• Incorporated the 6th Amendment’s guarantee of the right to counsel, applying it to the defendants in state court

Answer 11

Gideon v. Wainwright

Question 12

• A TX state law prohibited abortions except to save the pregnant woman’s life
• A woman has the right to an abortion based on the right to privacy
• A woman’s right to an abortion is within the right to privacy incorporated by the 14th Amendment

Answer 12

Roe v. Wade

Question 13

• The city of Chicago denied all licenses for handguns, effectively banning them
• The 2nd Amendment’s right to bear arms for self-defense applies to the states, striking down the Chicago policy
• Incorporates the 2nd Amendment’s right to bear arms through the 14th Amendment

Answer 13

McDonald v Chicago

Question 14

• Black students in several states were denied admittance to certain public schools based on race
• Racial segregation of public schools allowed by the “separate but equal” principle of Plessy v Ferguson is unconstitutional
• Racially segregated public schools violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment

Answer 14

Brown v. Board

Question 15

• A law banned corporations and unions from making political ads within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary election
• Corporations, unions, and interest groups can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money for independent political expenditures
• Based on the 1st Amendment’s free speech clause, corporations, unions, and interest groups have the right to engage in political speech

Answer 15

Citizens United v F.E.C.